Darkling Winter
by YumeMori
Summary: Kagome/Talon. Four years after her adventure ended and still filled with a deep longing for adventure, Kagome moved to New Orleans. Only to find that she was way in over her head when she couldn't stay away from trouble.
1. The Dark Horse

**Disclaimer:** I claim no ownership of _Sengoku Otogizoushi - InuYasha_ nor the _Dark Hunter_ series for they belong to Takahashi Rumiko, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and various other companies. I am merely borrowing their characters and ideas, but they will be returned in their original condition in three more chapters.  
**Warnings:** AR for Inuyasha (Kagome never returns after three years); Set three years before Talon's book; mature content; mature language.

* * *

_Darkling Winter**  
**_**The Dark Horse**

"Kisses are like tears: the only ones that are real are the ones you can't hold back."  
Written as a gift-fic for Ryukotsusei

* * *

It had been one year since Kagome had moved from her family shrine in Tokyo, Japan to the vibrant and ever-changing streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America. Though both places were full of people and similar in many ways, nothing could touch the crowded streets of Tokyo, save for maybe Hong Kong. The lack of thousands of people crowded on the streets during all hours of the day and cleaner air were wonderful and welcome changes to her. Change was something she always needed these days.

After gaining her diploma after three years of high school, she had to get away: from the pollution, the Goshinboku, the hone-kui no eide that refused to work even three years after it returned her to her proper time, the friends who were not really friends anymore, and all the memories of a time that no longer existed and she could not return to again. Even her grandfather had understood her need to leave and start anew, for which she had been grateful. She could not move on with her life as long as she was pining over the past, surrounded by all the reminders of what had been.

She had worked hard in a business firm to save up money to buy the plane ticket and rent a quaint little loft in uptown New Orleans. She still technically was not a citizen, but she had a work visa that she managed to get renewed after the time was up on it. Now, she had a job as a waitress at Cafe du Monde and loved working there. Had she been in Japan, such a job would have been one of the very few still left open to her simply because of her grades and, more importantly, her sex. Neither were things she could change, but given her life now, she did not want to change a thing about her past. Even if she was stuck in a crummy job, though in Japan her day would not end after eight hours.

Well, perhaps there was one thing she would have liked to change: her ability to land herself in trouble of the supernatural kind no matter where she went.

And she blamed it all on one frequent customer who love beignets and dark coffee. From the moment she had started serving him, she had been in the wrong kind of trouble.

His name was Talon, odd though it was to her. (Yet it was not as if she could talk: she was named after a creepy children's song and game about a caged bird and betrayal.) He had something about him, some aura, that reminded her of Kōga in more ways than one. Yet Talon was more like an upgraded version of the wolf.

Kōga, new and improved! She always had to laugh in her head at her little American joke; a goofy smile being her only outward sign of her inner amusement.

Yet Talon had the same lewd character at times. When he used it to charm a willing bed partner for the night, it was twice as bad and twice as smooth. He had the same foul mouth, though funnier, especially when he was talking to someone called "Wulf". And he had a certain princely aura about him that made most pause if his European looks, ripped body, and charming mouth did not. Not to mention that he oozed sex.

Talon was quite possibly the only human she knew who could give Sesshōmaru a run for his money.

And yet, she would always tell herself that she had seen better every time she served him even when her racing heart and attracted body were saying differently. Honestly, she was a single young woman in her twenties: she could look, flirt and fantasize about him all she wanted without an ounce of guilt.

After all, they did not have that type of man back in Japan.

The downside to such a foreign man: notorious one-nighter. Mama would be so displeased with her if something like that ever happened. Not to mention, she would be more than upset with herself if something like that happened-she was not that kind of woman nor did she let others influence her in such ways with their aura. As if that was not bad enough, she had a feeling he was not exactly human. He was not yōkai, she knew that much. She could not figure out just what he was though. Sometimes, if she concentrated hard enough, it felt as if he had no soul. And she knew he was not stealing souls like Kikyō had done.

However there were others who were soul-stealing in the dark of the night. Perhaps they were not exactly stealing souls, but it was close enough for her to be on alert. Especially since they had been coming after her for her large soul. Or maybe they had hissed out "power". Her English still was not perfect, even after a year.

It led to her spending many of her nights wandering down dark side-streets near her home, hunting down the creatures who had come too close for her comfort. They had horrible curses on them, she could feel that much, but that was not entirely what drive them to what they were and what they were doing. She could not call them kyūketsuki, yōkai or oni. She could hardly call them akurei.

Perhaps she would leave it at ningen, given that she knew no English words to describe them.

A cold chill brushed across her back, causing her to shiver and the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end. It always happened when one was near, though never to such degree. She rubbed her hands against the goose flesh on her bare arms. Having learned her lesson years ago in the Sengoku Jidai about wearing nice expensive clothing to battles, she dressed in as little as she could and in the cheapest things she had. Jean short-shorts, dark rinse, and an orange spandex tank top coupled with bare feet was her look most nights. She was thankful New Orleans was not all that cold, even in winter, just like Tokyo had been most times.

She was smart enough to not wear her current clothes during the day or on any major streets. Although, given her blueish eyes and hair undertone, orange was a very flattering color on her, it showed off more of what she would have liked of her breasts. Since it was spandex, it was its own bra most times, but on slightly chilly near-winter nights... Well, she was sure whatever she was killing knew she was cold before they died. The short-shorts did not help her either as they highlighted her long toned legs and showed off the bottom of her ass.

Oh, the things she wore all in the name of keeping streets clear of non-human creatures.

The one thing that separated her from the common street-walker (as Mama would say if she knew the word) was the saigo-yumi strapped to her back with a quiver of arrows. Twentieth century or not, she could still purify anything non-human with evil intent with just one arrow.

And someone was going to die tonight, very soon if her senses were correct.

When her hand wrapped around the curve of her bow, she was knocked to the ground. None of the things she had faced before had been that fast. She yelped as soon as she felt the unforgiving cement scrape against her body. Without having to look, she knew she had the beginnings of a bad case of concrete-burn. She did not have to time to moan over her wounds as whoever had knocked her to the ground, yet had not landed on her, was already on their feet.

She knew her quiver was broken from the force of their body, yet her saigo-yumi was still in one piece and gripped in her hand. Her arrows lay scattered through the alley, the ningen's boots snapping a few as he stepped on them in his trek toward her. A plan was beginning to form in her mind as his black boots came closer to her body.

"Well, well. How easy it was to bring you to the ground. How odd you've managed to kill so many of us and you still have a soul. No mark of the Dark Hunter either I bet." His voice confirmed her suspicions that he was, in fact, male. And what a deliciously dark tenor he had. Shame he had to die.

His feet paused in front of her face and she dared not look up. She could not afford to get lost in whatever beauty he had, as all the ningen she had killed were beautiful. It would ruin the plan she had. He sighed. "Though you have the exotic look down, you're far too short for _her_ tastes." She could hear him bend down as he spoke. "Now, you have to die. Silly little girl, you should know not to play with creatures who haunt the night."

Grabbing the back of her shirt, he lifted her up. Her grip on her bow never loosened. When she was almost fully upright, she purified the arm holding her shirt with one swipe of her bow. Before he could get over the shock, she pierced his chest with the tip of it. She finally dared to look at his face, taking in the beautiful sight. Much like Talon, he had a chiseled face and darkly beautiful looks to match his voice. Really, such a shame he had tried to kill her.

She removed her bow from his body and slung it over her shoulder. "Perhaps you should take your advice," she said to the pile of ashes that sat where he had once stood. With all the things she had learned that night, she began salvaging what arrows she could still use. They were hard to find these days as archery was not popular.

Dark Hunters-what were they? And their marks: tattoos? Had she stumbled onto some sort of gang war? It felt too supernatural to be something so simple or human as that.

She hissed as her knees made contact with the side of a dumpster, aggravating the wounds she had forgotten she had. Now that she truly noticed them, they stung like hell especially with the dirt she knew had to be in the open wounds. Though her clothes had escaped unscathed, save for some dirt. Cheap, slightly tacky, yet durable.

"It figures. My skin took the beating, clothes are fine." She stood and brushed herself off as best she could. "Though, feet are OK."

She turned to leave the alley at the street entrance, but paused. Heavy footsteps were running towards her spot from that way. Had someone heard? With no second or third thoughts, she turned and fled down the back way. So much for coming home through the front door.

* * *

Heavy and large black Harley boots echoed throughout the alley. Leather black pants and a black motorcycle jacket with beautiful Celtic scrollwork in red and gold completed the late intruder's look. It was a typical biker look, that his face both complemented and contrasted. He had a young face with blond hair, and his eyes were deep enough to scare off most.

Talon stopped in front of the pile of ash that he knew belonged to a Daimon. It had been the twenty-third time in the past year that he had come across the scene. Sometimes there had been more ash piles, others only one. It was always the same: he would be called out, usually around this area now that he thought about it, only to discover that his job had already been done for him. He knew no other Dark Hunter was doing it as he would know if another was in the same city or as close by as he knew the killer had to be.

He eyed the broken arrows and the one intact arrow left behind. This was a new development. Whoever was doing the killing was most likely attracting the attention of the stronger Daimons. One could kill only so many of the weaker ones before someone got pissed. With critical eyes he crouched down and eyed the scene. The arrows had been broken from being stepped on, there was a little blood on the ground near the only intact arrow. He had his suspicions about what happened and how long ago as he reached out and took a handful of the ashes. Still warm despite the chill that was in the air.

He would guess the Daimon had been killed within seconds of his arrival.

So his ears had not been wrong: he had caught the tail-end of this fight. If he was not mistaken, his job-stealer was a woman, and his ears were never wrong when it came to women.

Brushing off his hands, he stood and pulled out his cell phone. Talon had the perfect job for Nick to do for him involving this mystery. He continued to eye the one unbroken arrow as he waited for Nick to answer. That arrow, he just knew, was going to be the key to unlock this aggravating case. Yet since the killer was female, it changed his plans and thoughts around about who had been doing his job.

* * *

By the next evening, Talon had nothing new to add to his little mystery. He was not stupid nor desperate enough to inquire on the Dark Hunter forum boards for answers. Like he needed that kind of ridicule at this point in his life. Thankfully night came earlier in the near-winter months and he did not have to wait as long to fulfill two of his loves: beignets and coffee. Two things he needed in order to collect his thoughts centering around the woman going around and killing things in the dark of the night that she really should not be messing with.

Nick had yet to call him back with any information on what he had uncovered. He was to stop by and drop off the arrow to see what the temporary squire could dredge up about who had made it and who had bought it. Were he a younger man with less control of his emotions, he would have no issues with causing Nick to have a little accident that resulted in his death if only to get a more competent squire.

"Your order, Talon-san." An amused, accented voice tore him from his thoughts.

He turned to look at his usual waitress for the past year, Kagome he knew her name to be. Normally he could not be bothered to remember a woman's name, but Kagome was not just another woman to warm a bed. Or rather, she _could_ be, but he had a strong feeling she would relieve him of all that made him a man when he was not looking. Not to mention, she did a good job of appearing to not be attracted to him. She had a strong will, he had to give her that.

He liked that in a woman too much to just use her. Especially if he was to see her every time he wanted some decent beignets.

Kagome placed his cup of coffee down with extra care, pulling her hands away quick enough that he only caught a glimpse of a bandage. "Dark and bitter, just like the women you enjoy," she quipped. It had been a running joke between them ever since the first day they met. When she asked how he liked his coffee, he had told her that he liked it like he liked his women. It was the only teasing she engaged in with him. Again, normally he could not be bothered to mingle with humans to any familiar degree, but the large soul she possessed had even him on edge. Such a soul was sure to attract attention of all the wrong kind.

And he did count himself among the "wrong kind".

He pulled his coffee towards him. "The words you're looking for are strong and tasteful."

Kagome paused, deceptively appearing to think over his word suggestions. The twinkle in her unusual eyes for one of Asian descent told a very different story. She set down his beignet before she replied, "No, I don't think so. I think you need English lessons more than me." With a flippant wink and toss of her pony-tailed dark hair, she sashayed off to deal with other customers.

Or rather tried to. He picked up the small limp in her stride, along with the bandages he could make out wrapped around her knees through her work slacks. He picked up his coffee, intent on enjoying it in peace for a bit. Yet his hand paused half-way through its action as an unsettling thought took seed in his mind.

He set it down and looked over at Kagome, taking in all the things he had brushed off before about her. Those bandages... Were they not in the same spots he had a strong feeling his little job-stealing woman scrapped against the concrete last night? Had she not arrived around the same time he started finding only the ashes of Daimons? Not to mention that she not only had a large soul, but had some sort of odd aura about her that not even his limited mediumship could identify.

And he would bet his Snoopy Pez dispenser that she lived in the area where all the attacks were taking place.

Kagome, possibly feeling his gaze on her, turned to give him a curious look. She tilted her head to the side in a cute manner. With her looks and accent, it was hard to peg her as a Daimon killer. He had done his best to keep an eye on her when he could, even going so far to have Nick to look into her a year ago. Obviously he had not done his job as well as he claimed to have done-neither of them had.

She had been right beneath their noses the entire time. And he had one piece of evidence that would prove it all.

One arrow was all that was needed, he had been right to take it. All he had to do was wait for her shift to end, and he was going to get to her before she could go and piss off more Daimons. A human with a large soul killing such creatures was asking for far too much trouble.

Talon looked over at her one more time, seeing how easily she moved despite her injuries. She was either very good at hiding her pain, or she was used to functioning with wounds. He had a strong feeling it was the latter.

Finally taking a gulp of his coffee, he entertained the thought that she just might enjoy trouble.

* * *

Kagome heaved a sigh as she stepped out of Cafe du Monde close to eleven that night. Her breath billowed out in smokey clouds and she resisted the urge to wrap her thin black jacket tighter around her. The temperature had dropped significantly in the span of one day, much to her displeasure. She hoped none of those ningen decided to snoop too closely to her tonight as she had no desire to put on more expensive, though warmer, clothes and have them ruined. It never failed: the second she wore nice clothes to a battle, they were ruined in one way or another.

She had much more important things to spend money on. She honestly did not know how Mama had managed buying her new school uniforms as often as she had. Those uniforms cost much more than nearly every piece in her wardrobe these days.

Yet they were not thoughts she had to be concerned about. She sighed again and shook her head in an attempt to rid it of thoughts of the past. It was not as if she could truly be blamed: thoughts of fighting always seemed to bring up old memories of _that_ time. How could it not? Too much blood and purifying creatures would do that to a person, she supposed. However it did not stop her from looking up at the night sky at the stars she could not see. It always brought reality back to her mind.

With one more heavy sigh and stuffing her hands harsher than necessary into her coat pockets, she began the lonely trek back to her place. She could never call it home-she could not call anywhere home-but she had hopes that one day she would be able to view it as such.

"Been bringing arrows to knife-fights, have we?"

She paused. The saying was lost on her, but the voice was not. Nor was his mentioning of arrows. Kagome closed her eyes and forced herself to relax. The last twenty-four hours really had not been kind to her, and it was not looking as if it would be getting any better.

Against her better judgments, she turned to her right instead of continuing on home. Talon was leaning against his "bike", a Harley if her memory served her correctly, looking as nonchalant as possible. Despite his habit of teasing her, there was a calmness, a depth that seemed as if nothing could ever pierce it. Not even his suspicions on what she was doing seemed as if they fazed him in any way, not with how easy he rested against his bike in his black leather. She immediately noticed an arrow in his hand, resting against his biceps due to his crossed arms. The arrow was hers, she knew by its feathering. Just as she had feared: she had left behind at least one good arrow in her haste to leave.

But she was not going to bite so easily.

She tilted her head in confusion at him, blinking her eyes owlishly. "I'm sorry... I don't understand the phrase."

He tapped the arrow against his arm, bringing her attention back to it. She feigned ignorance of it as best she could, but she had a feeling she had already been caught. Tensing at the mention of the word "arrow" was probably what did her in.

"You might not understand the phrase, but I'm sure you know exactly what this is about." He stood to his impressive height, an attempt to intimidate her into answering his questions she was sure. Only other, far more deadly creatures had attempted the same and failed. As if someone so human would be capable of intimidating her, not after all she had done and seen.

And yet, an off-hand warning from Sango echoed in her mind. _"The yōkai to be feared the most are the ones who appear human."_ Though Talon was not yōkai, it held some merit in it.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Again, I'm sorry, but I don't understand."

He narrowed his deep eyes at her and she resisted the urge to shiver again, though this time not from the cold. Had she been more normal and human, such a look would have frozen her in her tracks. Fear did grip her heart as she was familiar with such a look on such a man. One did not easily dip their toes into deep waters without some form of consequence, and she knew better than to taunt someone in his caliber. The last time she had, she had nearly been dissolved by dog drool. Noxious dog drool from a _very_ big dog.

Just as she turned to leave before her mouth caused more problems, Talon spoke again, "I have a feeling that were I to look up who bought this arrow, it would come back to you." He paused before nodding his head at her. "Just like your wounds match up with the spacing of blood spots found in an alley last night. An alley I'm also sure would be close to where you live."

She shrugged again, offering a wave over her shoulder. "Perhaps. I'm sure it would with many other people. Though, that arrow is not Japanese, so you might not. Have a good night, Talon-san."

"You're pissing off the Daimon population here in ways I never could. Have to hand it to you."

"Daimon?" she asked, mentally cursing her curiosity that caused her to stop and voice her question. If she had not given herself away before, that one question did. Had she been able to get away with it, in more ways than one, she would have kicked herself. She did not have to turn around and look at Talon to know he had to have been grinning over his win.

Now he knew all he had to do was appeal to her curiosity to get any information unintentionally._ Damnit_.

Instead, she heard the tell-tale creaking of his clothes as he straddled his motorcycle. She turned around in confusion, unable to understand why he had put off the questions she knew he had to have. Why would he give her time to think up a good lie? (Never mind that she was a horrible liar, but the point remained.)

"Where do you live?" he asked.

She blinked. "Excuse me?" Her tone had a hint of incredulity as she crossed her arms. She snorted in amusement after a moment. "Tokyo, Japan, since you're so curious."

He revved his motorcycle with more force than was necessary, she was sure. "Your home, _here_." He glanced around at their surroundings. "Unless you'd like me to interrogate you on the street for all to see, you'll get on and we'll talk there."

Oh, she would love for him to _interrogate_ her wherever. But she was more than certain he did not mean it in that way, a pity too. Ah no, she shook her head. Mama and her self in the morning would be disappointed, not to mention upset, with her if anything resembling the situation playing out in her mind happened. She wished he did not exude sex, then it would be easier to be nice and herself around him.

And there was no way she would let him know she saw him in that light. So she opted for an impertinent pout and a glare. "Why my place? Why not yours? You don't just make such demands of a woman."

With another penetrating glare from his deep amber eyes, he said, "Now."

This time, she decided to comply. Obviously she had pissed him off before she even started talking. She had no desire to try and break through his calm, deep demeanor that night. And the fact that she would be able to not only have her hands gripped tightly around his waist, but she would be able to feel all the taunt muscles of his back against her were things to look forward to.

A fair trade-off, in her opinion.


	2. To Send a Crackerjack

**To Send a Crackerjack**_**  
**_

* * *

Near midnight found Kagome and Talon entering her apartment. With exaggerated slowness and calmness, she closed and locked her door before taking off her coat under his watchful eyes. Was she being childish by taking as much time as she could to stave off the inevitable discussion? Perhaps, but she liked to think she earned the right. After all, it was not every night she was being forced into taking handsome strangers back to her place in order to discuss the fact that she had been killing what he called "Daimon"s.

He stepped into her living room as she removed her shoes. She glared at his biker boots with unusual upset feelings, normally she could not care if Europeans or Americans took off their shoes or not when they stopped by, but it bothered her this time. Perhaps it, too, was childish, but she could not care. She already had not been in the best mood since last night, and his bad mood was not helping hers at all. Oh, how she would love to tackle him to the ground and rip off his boots.

If only to throw them at his head.

She stood and glared at him again. Her place was small, but cozy. It was not feminine in overt ways, but his large masculine biker presence made it seem so. The near pastel white-yellow walls and various nick-knacks from Japan that were the only decorations seemed decidedly feminine and soft next to his rugged grace and black leather. His looks and her place clashed like night and day, almost like a sloppy mismatch of East and West. Her eastern scrolls and jade and looks; his western scrollwork on his jacket and gold and looks.

It eased her bad mood somewhat, though she was still a little pissy with him. She doubted even Sesshōmaru could make her place seem small and feminine with just his height and build like Talon did.

Kagome brushed past him, deliberately hitting his arm. "Tea?" Though she spoke it as a question, it was not one. He was going to get tea and enjoy it even if she had to force it down his throat.

She was surprised though when he followed her to the door frame of her kitchen that resembled a kitchenette more. If he was going to play this game, then she could play her own. And she would bet she could make him crack first... Well, maybe not, but it would not stop her from trying.

Without bothering to look over to him, she bent over to pull out her kettle. "What is important that you had to force me to bring you here to discuss?"

He did not answer immediately, and she liked to think it had to do where his eyes were focused on. She straightened, the kettle in her hand, giving him only a brief curious glance on her way to fill it up with water. His countenance was as closed off as always.

"Do you know what Daimons are?" he asked.

She paused for a moment; what a curious way to start off an interrogation. She figured he did not have much experience in it. With calm hands, she turned off the water. "No. I've never heard that word before." She thought it over as she placed the kettle on the stove. "You said that word before, what is it?"

He crossed his arms and leaned against the frame, blocking all hopes of escape for her, unless she wanted to jump out a window. "A Daimon is an Apollite that refused to give into their curse, and instead feeds off the souls of others to survive."

So they had been saying "soul" during many of the earlier attacks. And it was partly because of a curse, as she had sensed. Yet his answer had spawned more questions. "What are.. ah.. Apollite?" She tested out the new name, wincing as she felt she butchered it. In her defense, it was a very odd word. One she had never come across.

And was it her imagination, or had Talon just sighed?

"Have you ever heard of the Greek God, Apollo?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes and no. I know the name... He had a twin sister, ne? But that's all."

"You don't need to know much else," he said, relaxing somewhat. "Apollites were once just a family who had been cursed by Apollo to die on their twenty-seventh birthday. Daimons are Apollites who refused to die and instead live by feeding off souls."

"How cruel," she muttered, though she was certain Talon heard it. She looked over at him. "And you? What are you?"

He smirked. "What do you mean?"

"Are you Apollite? Daimon?"

"Neither."

She relaxed slightly, glad he was not either. She did not like the thought that she would have to kill him as well either right now or in the future. However it still left the question of what he was. A small piece of information she had almost forgotten from the night before resurfaced. Though she had done some looking around online, she had found nothing regarding the term.

With a deep breath, she asked, "Dark Hunter?"

After she spoke those words, it became deathly silent in her kitchen. She could hear how he tensed, even if it was just in a sharply inhaled breath and the squeaking of his leather. Those sounds spoke louder and said more than either would be willing to admit to. He was one; she was not supposed to know the term. And she felt as if she had stumbled onto something much larger and darker than that of the Shikon no Tama.

The kettle whistled, but neither paid attention to it. Talon was focused upon her form, and she was focused upon the wall. She felt as if she should not know and that she was guilty of knowing, but he had started this game. When he did not say anything, she turned off the stove and turned to another cupboard that held her tea set and tea tins.

"How do you know that term?"

Her hand gripped the cupboard door tight. "I don't know it." She sighed and figured it was in everyone's best interests if she admitted to her nightly deeds, even if it was not admitting to it directly. "I heard it last night, the... Daimon... spoke it toward me. And mentioned someone he called only 'her'. He said I couldn't be a Dark Hunter, though I had the looks, but not the height and that I still had a soul... If that are the three conditions, then you fulfill all three."

When silence reigned again, she set about setting everything up. Her own game forgotten at the serious turn the conversation took, or else she would be trying her best to entice him to look at her while she struggled to reach something just out of reach. But given the context, she liked to think it was tacky, especially for her.

Neither broke the somewhat comfortable silence until she was done and both had taken a seat on her small couch. The tea set sat between them on the coffee table. And now neither knew exactly how to start up the conversation again. Kagome opened her mouth at the same time as Talon.

"So it really has-"

"How does one become a Dark Hunter? How can you give up your soul so easily?"

He leaned back into the couch, his own question forgotten. "Between death and a chance for revenge on those who killed you and your family, there really isn't much of a choice."

She shook her head. "Yes, there is. For me, death would be easy to choose. Revenge brings more pain than anyone realizes."

"Spoken like a warrior."

She offered a humorless smile. "Well, I have been going around killing your Daimons, so I must be to some degree."

He smirked. "That reminds me. How are you turning them to ash?"

This time her smile was happy, and she even laughed. "Don't you know it's not polite to ask such things of women?" He shrugged and she shook her head. "Why are you even giving this information to me? Don't Dark Hunters have some secretive code to keep everyone from finding out about you?"

"I think in your case, no one will mind. You stumbled across us, not the other way around."

She lifted her cup. "Oh? Here I thought you had been looking to 'stumble across' me. And I don't consider being hunted for my soul as 'stumbling across'."

He shot her a dry look to which she only smiled at before taking a drink of her tea. He never removed his eyes from her form. "You've been attracting a lot of Daimon attention. With your large soul, and killing spree, you're pissing them off."

"They pissed me off first." She shrugged. "Like I enjoy giving up my nights to kill those who would kill me first."

"There's rumors they're going to send a Spathi after you."

She sighed and gave him an obvious look. "Stop giving me such strange words. First you call them 'Daimon's, then 'Apollite's, now you're saying 'Spathi'. Is there a difference?"

He returned her look with his own. "If you enjoy living, there is."

With a heavy sigh, she set down her teacup. "Fine, I'll bite. What is 'Spathi'?"

"Their warrior class."

In her mind, that equated to a Daiyōkai in her mind. Though she would not say it out loud as she did not know the English equivalent to the word and would have no way of explaining it. Especially since she would then have to explain what a yōkai was, and that was a conversation she preferred never happened. Her past was a non-issue here, and there was no way it could have any bearing on any present or future event. If Spathi were truly on the same level as a Daiyōkai, then not even she was willing to admit she would have trouble killing one. Sesshōmaru had been the only one she had encountered, and she had been unable to destroy more than part of his breastplate with her hama no reiryoku.

But she let none of it show, keeping up an air of nonchalance as if the news did not unsettle her. "Then they shall die too if they are stupid enough to come after me," she said. Even he did not seem to buy her words. Given his impressive build and the powers she knew he had to have as a Dark Hunter, if even rumors of a Spathi coming set him on edge, it said something about the creature.

"Even I'm not reckless enough to be that cocky when dealing with them."

"Ah, but you admit you're cocky," she teased, trying to lighten the serious air. It was too early in the morning to be having such conversations. Then again, the night was much more interesting than the day... She sighed when he did not laugh, and instead turned to look out the window behind them. The night sky was lightening, it would be predawn soon. How the night managed to pass so quickly was a mystery to her. Another night of sleep lost. Her lack of it was beginning to show in her attitude.

He cursed and stood up. She gave him a strange look. "Have to be somewhere so early?"

Talon looked torn between two evils. Had he been a lesser man, she was sure he would have been pulling at his two long braids. "I...can't be in the sunlight."

She tried to hide her chuckles behind her hand. "And do you have fangs, too?"

Despite it obviously not being the time, he grinned. Two dangerous canines were easy to spot now that she was looking. The seriousness of the situation hit her as she stood to walk over to him. She stood on her tiptoes and tilted her head up as far as she could just so she could clearly see his face. Compared to his impressive height of what had to be over six feet, she was a midget. Uncaring of how inappropriate she was being, she gently lifted his upper lip to see his fangs close up. He could have just as easily stopped her, but he allowed her to look.

Or maybe he was shocked that she was not running off screaming about mythical creatures that he may or may not be.

She only looked a moment before she backed off. "Kyūketsuki." She breathed out and she was sure he caught the word.

And had no idea whether to be offended or not.

She shook her head. "Ah.. It's... Well..." The English word was not coming to mind though she knew she knew it.

"Vampire?"

Snapping her fingers, she nodded. "That's it."

"Not exactly, but I still can't be in the sun."

She shrugged. "Vampire." With a laugh, she motioned for him to follow her. "My bedroom has thick curtains. You should be OK."

* * *

That night found Kagome's life taking an even stranger turn. One she did not appreciate in the slightest bit.

The day had gone as almost every other day had. She had slept in long enough for it to be close to noon, gone out to buy groceries for the day, headed to her shift at Cafe du Monde, then headed home. Or rather, that was how she liked to think her day had gone.

Instead, she barely slept. Though her couch was comfortable to sit on, sleeping was another matter entirely. Talon had kindly offered for her to sleep in her bed. Unfortunately, the thought of sleeping with Talon not only in the room but watching her sleep from a lack of anything else to do did not sit too well with her. Especially since she knew she would be thinking about all the other things a bed could be used for in such a situation. So she kept to her couch.

She was cranky and sore in ways she had not been since her adventure. Even more so when she realized that she had slept well past noon and all she had time for was a quick shower before she had to rush off to her job. That she had forgotten about the European man in her bedroom when she finished with her shower had not helped any of her issues. Had she nothing else to do for a few hours and were she that kind of woman, she would have gladly jumped Talon when he gave her a heated glance at seeing her in nothing but a towel.

That look of his was the undoing of many other women, she was sure of it. Had circumstances been different, she would have gladly joined the ranks of the women Talon had bedded with no remorse.

But it was what it was.

She grabbed her clothes and retreated back to the bathroom in order to get dressed in peace.

And as she was going to leave, she was informed that he would be picking her up again tonight. He had somewhere he wanted to take her. Any other woman would have immediately thought of "dinner", "romantic moonlit walk along the bayou", or something similar. Kagome was far from "any other woman" and it added to her bad mood. She thought of "dark interrogation room", "meeting with the boss for delving into things she should not have", "stupid large soul always causing problems".

So maybe she was thinking of the third option more than she cared to admit.

Though it was better to think of that instead of how Talon was keeping himself occupied while locked up in her bedroom. If she found even one article of clothing missing, she would find a way to kill a human without a soul. And he was sure to find her saigo-yumi sooner or later, and it would be all the proof that would be needed to condemn her if she had not already admitted to killing Daimons. She only hoped he did not accidentally break or damage it-it would be nearly impossible to replace.

And then when he picked her up, she was certain she would have a nice bruise in the shape of a hand on her upper arm. He pulled her over to his motorcycle before releasing her. The look on her face told her more than anything else that she would be smart to not give him any lip that night. But overt warnings were always somewhat lost on her when she was in a bad mood.

"What's your issue?" she shouted, resisting the urge to stomp her foot. He was already on his bike, waiting for her to get on. "So eager to get rid of me?"

He leveled an easy glare at her. "They know where you live."

Her childish side getting the better of her, she rolled her eyes. "Of course they know where I live. They're not stupid enough to be unable to figure _that _out."

"The Spathi has found you."

Now that bit of information caused her blood to run cold and all her ire to fade. She felt like an idiot; of course their little warrior would be able to find her if the regular Daimons could. With a resigned sigh, she got on the back of his bike and wrapped her arms around him as best she could. "How did you find that out?" she asked, though she dreaded what the answer was going to be.

She only hoped her place was still in one piece.

The revving of his bike was her answer before they sped off into the night. She squealed and held onto him tighter, burying her face into his broad back. They had not gone that fast the night before, and though she was scared to death of falling off, she could not deny the rush of adrenaline she felt. It was better than riding on Inuyasha's back, though far less safer. No rough calloused hands to wrap around her thighs and keep her close. What a pity.

Kagome never loosened her grip on him as he sped through streets and took turns at speeds she was more than sure he should not be. Yet he had his Harley under complete control. Though her bare legs had been centimeters from brushing against the concrete, they never did; and though it seemed that they were going to tip over or have a nasty spill on some turns, he managed to keep it from doing so. Not an easy task with two people on a bike.

When he began slowing down in front of a seemingly empty business did she dare to look up and around. Her eyes kept coming back to a shadow on the left side of the street though. Only when they came closer did she realize what it was. As she began to shout out a warning to Talon, the world swam in front of her eyes.

Adrenaline and shock made her unaware of how hard she hit the concrete after she had been knocked off the bike. She heard the sickening thud of her body, and of Talon's as well. Right after it was followed by the ear-piercing screech of his bike sliding down the street, no longer having anyone to keep it upright. She moaned as she tried to keep her eyes open while trying to roll over.

If she could get off her back, it would be one less worry off her mind.

The world above her was fuzzy and distorted, unable to stop moving. Vaguely, she realized she hit her head. Though, given the situation, she doubted a helmet would have helped the fall much.

Another moan escaped her as she finally managed to roll over. Her breath came in sharp pants, and she wondered if she had a broken rib to add to her injuries. It took a moment for the thudding of heavy shoes to pierce the pained fog her head was swimming in. She blinked her eyes open, possibly appearing as if she was drunk, and she was: on pain. Black boots came into focus. She desperately wished for it to be Talon, but she knew better.

Talon had bigger feet. Talon was bigger than she knew this person to be. And she knew that gait well.

He was a killer, an elegant one. One who did not use a gun. One who excelled in destroying his prey.

This was the Spathi sent to kill her. Though her mind provided her with "Sesshōmaru". Yet she was certain she would not be dying of dog drool.

Close enough, either way.

The boots paused in front of her head. Using the last of her physical strength, she lifted her head to look up at him. Tight black pants came into view, black shirt, black trench coat, pale skin. Dark hair and dark eyes, but she could not be sure. No weapons in his hands.

"Not so strong without your kiddie weapons, are we woman?" the spathi said.

She could hear the shifting of his weight, he was so close. His hand touched her head, attempting to pet her hair before grabbing it, she was almost certain. Only he received a nasty shock. Had he been weaker, he would have lost his hand in the face of her hama no reiryoku. For him to think her arrows were her only weapon was stupid, then again, he had probably never come across a human like her before.

"Zamaamiyagare," she whispered, remembering the phrase from her past. It was too fitting in this instance because there were no better last words to speak.

The spathi pulled back his hand and hissed in pain. She saw him retract and how he pulled back his foot, ready to give her a near, if not, fatal kick to the head.

A clicking sound caught their attention. The last thing she saw was a bright halogen light before the pain caused her to pass out.


	3. Kaffeeklatsch Or Not

**Kaffeklatsch... Or Not.**_**  
**_

* * *

The first thing Talon noticed when he woke up was that he was not in his bed. Nor was he at Kagome's. In fact, he had no clue as to why he was asleep. Well, he had an _idea_ as there was only one reason he would ever sleep.

He sat up, finally realizing that the floor beneath him was too cold to be comfortable while awake. And he was glad to note that he was still fully clothed, a sign that the events of the last night he did not remember could not have been that great. As his eyes focused more, a hazy feeling still occupied his mind though, he recognized the bare room he was in. It was an empty business, one that he had been meaning to take Kagome to in order to fill in some blanks with Nick present, and it was a good place to see if the Spathi would be lured to it.

Yet his plans had been ruined soon after night fell. What had been just rumors about a Spathi being sent after her became very real. As he had been getting ready to leave and head off to Cafe du Monde to torment and tease her more, her little Spathi tailer decided to pay a visit. Whether or not he knew Talon had been there mattered very little to a Daimon of such caliber; they were capable of taking down entire groups of Dark Hunters before being killed.

And had Kagome been at her apartment when he decided to kick in her door, he was sure it would have gotten more violent and bloody than it had.

He was certain the warrior had meant to make it seem as if someone had broken into her apartment in the hopes of having her be blinded by her emotions enough to take her down quickly. Obviously, the Spathi did not know his prey very well. Then again, it was not as if he had to given his skills.

As it went, his presence had been enough to cause the warrior to pause. Almost as if he was sizing him before finding him to be of little threat. Too important to let him leave, too unimportant to enjoy the kill. He had attacked, Talon had pulled out his srad. Blood had been drawn, though he played it safe. Becoming injured would do cause so many more problems aside from falling unconscious. In that case, he would have been killed without knowing it, and then Kagome would have been killed that night. And even though he had played it safe, quite a few things in her loft had been broken.

Walls, dressers, pictures, cupboards, clothing... He would rather not explain that last one to her _ever_. Even though it was not entirely his fault; he could not be bothered to look where he was tossing Spathi and slashing in the middle of a fight. Nor did he think he could pause the fight to ask their would-be killer to be careful so as to not break anything.

Yeah, that would have gone over really well.

It had been one well placed door to the face that had caused the Spathi to retreat. He wished he could call such a Daimon an inkblot, but after that scuffle, it would be too insulting.

And he had grimaced as he took in all the destruction in her home, all the broken things and torn clothes... The smashed and kicked-in doors. He had called Nick as he drove away, towards Cafe du Monde. It would be a few nights before he would let Kagome return to her loft, as it needed to be cleaned and put back together. Nick would be gathering what was salvageable before they were to meet up. And it worked perfectly; he now had a very good reason to keep Kagome nearby and under his watchful eye. Though he still did not know if telling her the reason why she could not return to her place would be good or not.

He had picked her up, and taken what he could of her anger and confusion. Her wit and fit body were a dangerous combination, one that had attracted him from day one. That had been part of the reason he had driven through the streets at the speeds he had, all in order to feel her so dependent on him to keep her safe and on the bike. She was far more independent and stubborn than many other women, and it showed in so many ways.

Yet, he remembered that he had only slowed down when he came closer to the place he wanted to take her. Something about the surrounding area had been nagging at him, something he should have paid more attention to than the feeling of her small hands around his waist and her breasts against his back. And there was another feeling around them that he made it nearly impossible for him to focus on anything surrounding them, just like the night before though he had not been paying attention to it, and just like the power his mediumship always picked up around her. He had thought it to be her soul, but now he knew that it was not quite true. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but it had come back to bite him in the ass. Though it had been what he had wanted at the time, for the Spathi to have been lured out there, it was not in such a way.

And that was as far as his memory went. He had reached for his srad when he noticed the threat, yet he had not expected for him to go after Kagome so obviously. It had been her who had been thrown from the bike directly, he had been knocked off by accident. He remembered hearing his bike skid across the street and Kagome whispering out something in her own language, but those were the only two things he remembered.

A soft groan to his right caught his attention. He quickly focused on the unconscious form of Kagome, glad to see that she was still alive. Though her death would take a good deal of stress and questions off his mind, he much preferred her alive. He leaned over to see her condition, taking note of the dried blood on her legs and head. Her shirt was dirty and ripped in a few places. In fact, she was dirty all over. Such is what happened with being thrown from a moving vehicle and onto the road.

For all the blood and dirt, she had no visible injuries. Obviously, he had been conscious enough to take on her injuries. Though they may have killed her, they could not kill him.

He brushed some of her hair away from her face, making sure she was in no pain. Even covered in dirt and blood, she still had something about her that drew him in like nothing else. It was some power or some aura, something definitely not western. Her dark lashes fell on scratched and dirty cheeks, and her lips were barely parted.

"Finally awake, are we?" Nick's voice had him pulling back from her to glare at the temporary squire. He had the worst timing, especially when he was not wanted. "Hey now, that's no way to look at the person who saved your ass and hers." Nick looked over at the woman next to him. "Though I don't mind saving her."

Talon stood and headed over towards Nick, effectively blocking his view of Kagome. The way Nick was looking at her was not appreciated in the slightest, and had Kagome been awake and coherent, he had no doubts that she would have given him a piece of her mind. And then turned on him to let him know she did not appreciate that he did nothing to stop his "friend" or his own looks he would have been giving her. "You're forgetting your own life expectancy in this job. What took so long?"

Nick shrugged, leaving to the other room where they could sit and chat. Talon followed at a sedate pace, eying the room they were leaving and only leaving when he was assured there was no way for anyone to go missing in it. The squire sat down, his laid-back manner showing in his slouch. There were not enough words to describe how much Talon disliked the man at times.

"You and that inkblot tore apart her place. She's going to be so pissed when she finds out. I did salvage what I could from it." He pointed over to a tacky yellow backpack that seemed to be full of clothing and the long bow Talon had found the day before. "And there's a crew already cleaning it up. That's what took so long. She's doing a number on you if you couldn't take down that one. Hell, a halogen light was enough to scare him off."

That information nagged at him about something from earlier. Something was not adding up entirely. Spathi could take down a handful of Dark Hunters, they were courageous and brave warriors. They were in a different class for a reason, one that caused even Dark Hunters to have some healthy fear and respect of them. A door to the face and a halogen light would not stop one, especially not twice in one night. Though it would affect them, it should not have been to such a degree.

Could it be that an Apathi had managed to fool so many into thinking he was a Spathi? Well, it certainly was not unheard of. And if it turned out to be the case, it made dealing with the entire situation easier. Apathi were much easier to deal with than Spathi.

Talon crossed his arms, one eye on Kagome's still unconscious form. All these new revelations floating in his mind, he needed some more time to think it over. And either the coming dawn or the coming evening, as he had no clue what time it was, would provide him with a chance to figure things out. Hopefully Kagome would wake up soon, allowing him to have someone directly involved in this to help him put the pieces together. "They're not looking into things. Apathi, not Spathi."

Nick locked his fingers together behind his head and tilted back in the chair. "Wouldn't be the first time. Why her, though. It's what I can't figure out."

"I told you before-it's her soul. It's too large and full of too much power. That, and she's been killing off so many Daimons. They're desperate to have her killed."

Nick grinned. "Oh, I know. I'm asking an entirely different question. It's not everyday I see you immediately go over and pick up a woman and carry her inside anywhere despite you being close to passing out. I didn't know someone like you had to work so hard to get a woman in your arms."

One look from Talon and his deep eyes was enough to make the squire quit leaning back in his chair and wipe the grin off his face.

* * *

The first thing Kagome noticed when she woke up was that the wall was black. It took quite a few seconds for it to register in her mind that it was, in fact, a black wall and that nothing was wrong with her eyes. Though she was not entirely convinced, given that everything surrounding her was black. The bedsheets, every wall, the ceiling... All in black. She had to pull her hands out from under the sheets to look at her skin just to make sure something had not happened to her eyesight.

Were anyone to ask, she would feel justified in replying that it was not everyday she woke up in an entirely black room.

Or in such a large bed. It made her wonder what sort of twisted western fairytale she had woken up to. Though it could not be worse than the twist her actual life had taken, with Dark Hunters and Daimons and Spathi trying to kill her and Talon...

With a gasp, she brought her hands up to her head, checking for the wound she knew she had to have after being tackled off a moving motorcycle. She ran her hands through her hair and across her head more than once, each time more frantic than the last when she found nothing. Now, she knew her hama no reiryoku sped up the natural healing process in her body but there was no way it could work so fast with such a wound. After the fifth time of looking, she moved her hands down to check her ribs, running her fingers across each bone she could feel. And when she did not wince or grimace from a cracked, bruised or broken rib that she also knew she had to have, she had to force the fear back.

It was completely irrational to feel fear over finding no injuries. Even though the blackness that she was surrounded by gave off the impression of being dead, she was certain the afterlife would not have beds. Because, after all, one would be dead and there would be no reason to sleep or any other reason to have a bed. Dead was dead, not a room painted black. If this was some sort of sick joke being played on her by Talon, whoever the Spathi after her was, or anyone else, she was not amused nor laughing.

And they should feel lucky that she did not know how to make kotodama no nenju.

She slid out of the large bed despite the softness of the sheets which made her reluctant to leave and get some answers. Her bare feet touched the cold floor, making her both shiver and wonder what happened to her flats. She had a feeling she would never see them again because they were either forgotten on the street or destroyed. The first option was nicer to think about. Out from under the sheets now where she could more easily look herself over for injuries. She found none though she knew she had to have them from the dried blood and the dirt that covered her.

The little pieces of the street and blood were the only reminders of what happened that night. She was sure she would be having painful remembrances of being thrown from a bike for a very long while. Yet that was as far as she could remember, feeling the cold concrete smack against her body. She had no clue as to what happened to Talon or whatever had knocked her down. But she was determined to get some answers.

It took her a moment to figure out where the room's exit was as her eyes had issues trying to adjust to so much black. They adjusted just in time for her to nearly walk into Talon. That would have been more than embarrassing, more so since she was sure he had enough muscle on his body to bruise her nose. It was an injury she never wanted, especially not after the last events she could remember.

She looked him over, seeing nothing out of place from his usual look. It was entirely unfair: there he was, not a scratch on his clothes and looking clean and refreshed; and then there was her, wearing torn clothes and covered in dirt and blood. She decided that he had to enjoy seeing her in various states of disarray, or perhaps that was just the affect he had on her. His two braids still glistened with water, letting her know he had just tossed her in bed before cleaning up.

Taking two steps back, she crossed her arms to hide the tears in her blouse and glared up at him. "Oh, so you can remove my shoes but you can not be bothered to wipe off some blood or give me a shirt? Glad to know chivalry has yet to die."

She swore an amused look stole across his face as his eyes glanced down at her ruined blouse. It had been one of her favorites, too. "Trust me, it crossed my mind. There's a bathroom to the right, and your ugly backpack is in it. There are clothes in it, or rather, there should be. Your bow's fine too, though a quiver and arrows couldn't be...found."

Kagome narrowed her eyes in thought. The way he said certain things and she did not remember him having anything that belonged to her when he picked her up had her mind churning with all the possibilities. "Why do you have some of my-Hey! My backpack is _not _ugly! Yellow's a very in color! And at least it _is_ a color, unlike all the black here! It's like someone doesn't know how to decorate. And where are we anyway?"

"My place."

That sucked all her fire out of her and had her wishing she could take back some of her words. "Oh," was all she could get out. And it even sounded lame. "Oops," she whispered to herself, and she was certain Talon heard it. She had been raised to be a better woman than she was acting, and Mama definitely had not raised her to insult someone's home no matter what the circumstances were. She bowed. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for." She rose and quickly crossed her arms again. "I'm sure all the...black...helps with your condition." When he looked at her as if he did not know what she was talking about, she laughed. "You know, since you're a vampire..."

"I'm not a vampire, Kagome," he said the words without passion. "My fangs are used for far better things."

She nodded in agreement. "Yes. Ravishing young women before sucking their blood." With a smile and a pat to his arm, she slipped past him. "I do have a question though... Why am I without injury?"

He turned to face her. "It's a gift I have. You would have died otherwise."

She took a step back in shock, unbelieving that someone she had teased and brought much grief onto would do such an act. Given his lack of a soul, she was sure he would not have died from her injuries, though it was the thought behind it. He had gone out of his way more than once, and directly now, in order to make sure she lived. He could have just let her die, and she was sure it would have saved him quite a bit of trouble. Not even she had such powers as to heal someone as well as he did or as quickly. She felt beyond grateful, and the knowledge subdued her. That one act changed so many things, especially the way in which she viewed him. Though she still did not like the effect his aura had on her.

"Thank you." She bowed much lower this time, her voice soft and grateful. She was sure that if he could not tell it from her voice, he could see it in her unusually wet eyes. "I am in your debt."

She turned and headed to his bathroom before he could say something that ruined the mood. Knowing him, he would not have been able to pass up the opportunity.

* * *

Talon had to hold back a smirk when, after a good hour, he heard Kagome's angry yell. When he had dragged in Kagome's backpack early that night after taking her inside, he had snooped in it to see just what Nick had managed to salvage. There was really only one set of clothes that could be seen without any digging, another, more appropriate, set rested at the very bottom. He had a feeling that Nick had thrown it in there just for fun, though he had to admit he was curious as to why she owned such clothes and what she would look like wearing them.

Seeing her in that orange tank-top or even just the short-shorts would be well worth her temper. It honestly was not his fault she had an amazing pair of legs and owned some questionable clothing. It was asking for this kind of situation. And though he may dislike some of the brighter colors out there, orange on a woman like Kagome would be more attractive than black.

He walked over to his bathroom just in time to hear her shout out, "What happened to my other clothes?"

"Collateral damage," he said through the door.

It opened just enough for her to stick her head out, though he could easily tell she was wrapped in only a towel. One of _his_ towels. She looked up at him, her eyes too doe-like for it to be healthy for him. "What? The words... It doesn't make sense."

It was an explanation he did not really want to tell her. Though he had to, especially since she was to stay with him in the meantime. He was quickly finding out that there was no good way to explain what happened to her, and definitely not when she looked like she did. A little white lie never hurt anyone, either. "The Spathi tore apart your place. Nearly everything was damaged."

Her eyes widened in shock for only a brief moment, then they narrowed in thought. Though he had to note that they did not contain as much anger as he feared. Perhaps saving her life earned him some brownie points. He would keep that in mind for any future events that may or may not happen. "What you're really saying is that you and him got into a fight and my loft was in the way, ne?"

"It happens from time to time."

"I'm sure," was her dry reply. She sighed and shook her head, taking the news far better than he thought she would. She mumbled something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like, "It would figure that those clothes are not ruined..."

"Your loft is being taken care of, though it'll take a few days."

"And I'm staying with you in the meantime. How fortunate for me to have so few clothes." She leaned against the door, forgetting she was wearing only a towel in her exasperation. He was not going to point it out to her anytime soon. "And what of the Spathi? Obviously you didn't kill him then."

He reluctantly pulled his eyes up from her legs to meet her eyes, a knowing glint shining through. "Still alive. I don't think it's a Spathi, though, but an Apathi. Spathi are on a different level that your would-be killer is at."

"Spathi... Apathi." He could tell she was still unused to saying either word. "Haven't we been over this before? Don't throw new words at me, your language is confusing enough without it."

He smirked causing a glimmer of lust to appear in her gaze momentarily. "And here I thought you were smart enough to not be slow." Had she a shoe nearby, he was certain she would have thrown it at him given the way she was looking at him. "Apathi are wanna-be Spathi. It's hard to tell the difference."

"And here I thought you knew enough about Daimons to tell the difference sooner," she teased, judging from the smile on her face. He had a feeling he brought out the worst in her, though he loved how he could banter with her.

Yet her lip and lack of decent clothing and wet hair were putting less than decent thoughts in his head.

He leaned in closer, his hand gripping the doorknob. She straightened and audibly gulped at his nearness. So he was not the only one having thoughts that were not conducive to the situation. The scent of his soap was coming from her, something he had never experienced before. It was...undeniably appealing. It drew him closer to her, leaning in far more than he had first intended. What had started out as somewhat harmless teasing was now becoming something very real. And her cute accent was not helping at all.

She looked up, her eyes and parted lips saying more about what was going through her mind than anything she could actually say. Had it not been for the towel wrapped around her and her wet ringlets of dark hair falling around her shoulders, she would have been the most seductive picture of innocence. Or perhaps it added to it more than he cared to admit. And the smell of him coming from her was too addicting.

He paused mere inches from her lips, her eyes already closing. She had breathed out a name, one he was almost certain had been his. Maybe Nick was right; she really was taking over his mind if she had to do absolutely nothing in order to make him think about kissing her.

Against his better judgment, he pulled back and tried his hardest not to breath in the smell coming from her. He was certain his voice was deeper than normal and that he was not imagining the look of disappointment in her countenance. "Get dressed. We have a few things to talk about."


	4. What a Mockery

**What a Mockery**_**  
**_

* * *

Kagome eyed the quiver full of arrows that Talon was holding out to her suspiciously. It seemed like an odd sort of olive branch, one she was not entirely sure she should accept. Had she still been that naive fifteen-year old time-traveler, she would not have thought twice about accepting it. Yet New Orleans was not Japan, Talon was not Inuyasha, and the situation had nothing to do with the shikon no tama. She was a twenty-something young woman who knew better than to take kindness on this continent at face value. Kindness was never just kindness; it held unspoken agreements and it hid dark desires. In this new supernatural world full of undead Dark Hunters, vampire-esque Daimons and Spathi and Apathi, and her soul hanging in the balance, she felt wariness was prudent.

Losing to a Daimon would mean that she would lose her soul. For forever this time, not temporarily like when Kikyō stole part of hers. No, this time her entire soul was at stake.

And if she lost to Talon, she was sure she would be tossed out to the corner after one amazing night. Mama was forgiving and understanding, but she did not think she would be much of either in that situation. Killing off yōkai in the past was entirely different from one passionate night with an undead man who was too sexy for his own good. Higurashi women did not have sex with men willy-nilly, no matter how undeniably attractive they were. Nor did they kiss just any man.

Yet she almost had. And had he wanted more than just a kiss, she was not sure she would be able to say no. Nor was she sure that she would _want_ to say no. The longer she spent in his presence, the more his strange aura and appeal wore down her control and put desires in her mind to jump his bones. She did not appreciate either.

She crossed her arms, self-conscious about how her orange tank-top looked on her in front of someone else, yet she never took her eyes off his offering. "What's this?"

Had Talon been a lesser man, she was certain he would sighing in frustration at her. Instead he slipped on his black shades, completing the biker look even more. And with the way his two braids fell from his left temple down to his chest, he looked darkly delicious. "It's a quiver full of arrows. Do you keep your bow around for decoration?"

She snatched the quiver from him, almost managing to toss a few arrows out of it. "I know what it is," she snapped. She sighed and let go of her anger just as soon as it had appeared. There was something in the way Talon looked at her or talked toward her that made her want to forget her morals, and it brought out the worst in her. Not even Inuyasha managed to do what he did, but then he did not hold so much of himself back like Talon did. Perhaps that was it. But no matter the reason, she did promise herself that she would try harder to be nicer to him. He did save her life, and was now going out of his way even more to help her out. "I do know how to handle a bow and I know what a quiver is. What I am asking is why are you giving it to me?"

"Your quiver and arrows were destroyed the other night during the fight. I had Nick find a suitable replacement."

She smiled and shook her head. He may have destroyed her arrows the other night, but she was more than certain he did not destroy her quiver. That had happened beforehand, all because of the last Daimon she faced. Though she was touched with the gesture now that she knew what it stood for. A gift to fix what had been broken was more than acceptable and better than many other things such a gesture could be. And at the same time she felt slightly foolish: one had to take only one look at Talon to know he did not need gifts to woo a woman, all he had to do was look at them. He was not the kind of man who had to work to get a woman; a woman had to work to get him.

"Thank you, the gesture is very kind. Though you didn't need to replace my quiver, a Daimon broke that earlier," she said, throwing the quiver over her shoulder next to where her bow was.

He looked at her for a second, or so she thought. It was hard to tell given that he was hiding behind such dark glasses. It seemed unnecessary given that it was night, but Talon was far from normal. It reminded her of her current state of dress and she once again crossed her arms. She hated that she was stuck wearing such a shirt in front of him, though thankfully she did not have to wear the jean short-shorts. Whoever had packed her backpack had been kind enough to find a pair of black leggings and a denim skirt from her younger days. It was quite a bit more appropriate for Daimon-hunting with someone else.

And for some reason, she felt as if his eyes moved to stare at her chest after she crossed her arms. That feeling of being stared at coupled with the incident that had happened only moments before had a healthy blush coloring her face. She had not forgotten what it had felt like to be only seconds away from being kissed senseless by him. Even now, her eyes darted to his lips that she knew had to be firm yet soft, a warm passion in cold caress.

Only when he looked away did she feel that the spell had been broken. She licked her lips, turning her head physically away from him. "So, what is the plan?"

"You're going to be the bait. There's still about three hours before sunrise, should be more than enough time," he said, causing her to furrow her brow in confusion over something he said. She did not entirely understand his usage of bait.

"You want me to... _lure_ out the Spa-Apathi?" she said, her accent catching on the word lure as she was sure he might not want her harassing the Daimon.

He crossed his arms, the leather of his painted Harley jacket creaking in protest. "Is there a problem with that?"

She turned away from him abruptly, her face aflame. It certainly explained the choice of clothing in her backpack, one she was not sure could be blamed entirely on her other clothes being ruined. Though she may have owned them and may have nearly wantonly kissed Talon, she was not that sort of woman! "Wanna-be killer or not, I don't go around enticing or leading anyone on!" she said, her voice a little shrill from embarrassment.

She could hear him pause, which was very odd. It was only a second, yet it passed far too slowly and soon he was walking over to her. Given her embarrassment, she dared not look up at him and see any disapproving look from him. However she soon found out he would have none of that. For once in the past few days, his hands were gentle in dealing with her as he lifted her head by her chin. From such a close distance, she could see through the dark lenses and into his deep eyes that held no scorn or mocking. As always, they held an unfathomable depth that she could only scratch. And now, her blush was there for an entirely different reason. His hand was warmer than she had thought.

"I'm not asking that of you. I'm asking that your soul draws him out of hiding. This time, we'll be prepared."

He let go of her chin as she nodded. Though he had taken away most of her embarrassment and had not teased her over her mix up of word meanings, she still felt rather silly. As if Talon would ask something like that of her! Well, maybe if it was in regards to _him_. But no, she was not going to think like that. Not when there was a threat to kill. He turned and walked away, fully expecting her to follow after him. The man was too much like Kōga and Sesshōmaru in the way he moved and talked and ordered people about.

If only because she had no clue as to where exactly she was or where it was Talon lived, she ran after him to catch up.

* * *

She was sure they looked like quite the sight that night as they sped through town. His golden hair and dark clothes blending in to her dark hair and dark clothes. A biker driving his warm body for the night straight through it. And then there was her, the "warm body" who had a long bow and a quiver full of arrows on her back. Not quite the normal sight anyone would have been used to seeing. Yet no one was really out. It being that time of night between the different crowds and they were on some questionable side-streets.

Once again, she had her arms wrapped tightly around him to keep from falling off. She had been thrown from a motorcycle once, she did not want to make it twice. Painful, bloody meetings between her and the unforgiving concrete of New Orleans were becoming a very bad habit. One she did not like or appreciate in any sense.

Despite her new-found fear, she had her saigo-yumi easily accessible. To take down the one after her, she did not exactly need an arrow, just something sharp. It was the only way she could channel her hama no reiryoku, being as untrained as she was. And fights for one's life can only teach so much, and definitely not control. As Talon had said earlier that night, this time they would not be caught off-guard. Even though she had her face pressed tight against his back, she still had all her senses open.

She did not need eyes in order to tell when a Daimon was around. Neither did he, but apparently her hama no reiryoku screwed with whatever sense he had to find them.

This time, she did not brush off the feeling of the hairs on the back of her neck raising as the cold wind. She recognized it for what it was. He slowed his bike down when her hand squeezed his bicep.

She leaned forward and up, getting as close to his ear as she dared to while on a moving bike. "There's one to the right fairly close by."

He nodded his head before pulling to the side and bringing his motorcycle to a complete stop. With shaky legs, she hopped off it. She was glad to be on the ground on her own two feet more than she knew how to express. And she was sure Talon could tell.

He strode past her with smooth, confident steps. "Stay back and keep your bow ready."

And she was more than happy to comply. Though she disliked him telling her what to do with such a tone, the view more than made up for it. Could she blame Miroku for passing on his appreciation of a good derriere onto her? Possibly. Yet it was something she blamed entirely on Talon for being so in shape and wearing leather pants. He was asking for her to stare.

However even she was not stupid enough to lose herself in such a sight before a fight. And she noticed how his hand went to where he had to have his primary weapon, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. She, too, kept a tight hand on her saigo-yumi, the quiver and arrows nearly forgotten if not for their weight against her shoulder and back. All her senses were on alert, yet she could only pay half-attention to the danger they were coming upon. The rest was focused on Talon; the way he walked, the scent of him that wafted back towards her (more so since she now knew exactly what he smelled like)...

She shook her head and took a deep breath. It was not the place for her mind to be heading, especially not with how much stronger she could sense the Daimon. They were very close, though something seemed very off. She quickened her pace, so that she was closer to him and could more easily keep her voice down. "Do you notice that?"

His head tilted towards her in the slightest of movements, allowing her just a glance at his face before he looked straight ahead again. "Yes. Your Apathi will probably close in from behind hoping we'll be distracted with some inkblots."

Kagome tilted her head at the strange term, but knew it was not the time to ask for clarification. She tightened her grip on her saigo-yumi, a near grin on her face as she felt the sensation become even heavier in the back of her mind. "Then that settles who deal with who. Have fun with your inkblots."

She was sure she heard Talon curse, but she had timed it well given how close she could sense the Daimons were. His lower class opponents were two and appeared first, keeping his attention. When this was over with, she had a feeling he might be sorely tempted to kill her himself. She turned after making sure he was occupied, coming face to face with the Spathi-or Apathi, no one knew anything-that was trying to murder her. It was depressing how horribly he had failed at it so far; the Band of Seven in the past had nearly succeeded on their first try. And so had many others.

Looking at him and his less than intimidating presence, given that he was too much elegance and beauty and not enough killing intent, she could not find it in herself to be entirely afraid. After some of the things she had faced down and killed, including Naraku, the man in front of her was too..._ningen_.

Could he kill her? Quite possibly.

Did she think he would actually succeed? Not really.

If all else failed, she was more than certain Talon would be there to save her. Not that she ever expected to be that weak, young girl ever again. She was a woman and she could save herself most of the time these days. One had to learn, after all, when their hanyō savior was five-hundred years in the past.

She did not realize that she had actually sighed out loud, and that it had been easy to tell she was disappointed. Given the fight she could hear behind her, she should have given Talon the so-called Spathi. Yet she knew this was the one they had sent to kill her; one of his hands was badly burned. It brought back vague memories of him trying to grab her head only to have her hama no reiryoku burn him.

"Not on the bike this time? Pity."

Kagome sighed again. "I figured it would be more interesting to be standing. Perhaps you could kill me now."

"Bitch, I let you go that time." He snarled, his beautiful face contorting into something twisted and ugly. Had he not done that, she might have thought him beautiful enough to be on par with Sesshōmaru, Kōga, or Talon. But the darkness inside him has twisted the outer appearance. She could feel only a little pity for him: he had been cursed to die, but he had chosen to become what he was. And he had chosen to try and kill her.

"Behind you!" Talon shouted, and only reflexes from the past allowed her to throw herself out of the way in time to miss being hit with one of the Daimons.

She looked to her side to see that Talon had already killed off one of his opponents. He worked fast, she had to give him that. Yet she soon heard a foreboding crack, one that she never wanted to hear.

Her opponent, gripping the end of her bow that was not in her hands, had broken it off. He grinned, flashing a dangerous pair of fangs at her as he tossed the almost-half of her bow to the side. "Don't think I don't know what you can do with it and without arrows," he said, gripping the back of her tank-top this time. "I'm not as stupid as you think I am."

From her elevated and uncomfortable position, she could see over his shoulder to Talon. She was not entirely sure how he did it, though she knew he had to use some sort of power or ability, but he had killed his other Daimon. Well, now she felt entirely incompetent. Talon had been killing and she had been chatting. Had not she once made fun of those villains who talked instead of killing the hero with her brother?

She had fallen into a cliche, yet she was determined to break it.

Though he may have been smarter than some of the others she had faced, he was really stupid to think that the way to break her connection with her bow was to break it. Instead, he gave her two weapons though she would only need one. And she knew Talon was close to killing him as well, which just would not do. Was it possible for such an arrogant and cocky wanna-be Spathi to break her bow? It boggled her mind to no end.

She readjusted the grip she had on her half of her broken bow and stabbed it through his sternum. "You are stupid."

He glanced down at the broken tip in his stomach. "Do you really think that would kill me?"

"No." She shook her head. "But I think this will." She dredged up her hama no reiryoku and channeled it through the broken bow as Talon, using a dagger she had never noticed before, sliced into his neck. It was for naught though, as the second her hama no reiryoku entered his body, he disintegrated.

She straightened and grimaced at some of the blood that had landed on her. While she lamented the loss of her bow, she was glad to be alive no matter how she had to shake her head at the ridiculousness of the creature that had been sent to kill her. It was honestly laughable. "What a joke..."

* * *

Talon rearranged his dagger back into his srad and stared at the pile of ash that had caused him so much trouble. It stung at his pride that he had underestimated Kagome enough for her to so easily kill him. But he would rather not focus on that, instead he pinned Kagome with a stare he knew she could see given the way she fidgeted.

"What?" she nearly stuttered. "Don't give me such looks. He's dead and I'm OK."

She turned to focus on her broken bow, the string connecting the two pieces. Even he knew from looking at it that it had to have been hand-crafted, a one of a kind piece. But such was what happened when she underestimated even Apathi. She was lucky it did not get her killed like it did to the damn inkblot. While he knew he had to bring out the worst in her at times, she had a way of bringing out all the emotions he kept locked away deep within.

"Had you been anymore cocky, you could have been the one dead. What do you have to be thinking to turn and face something that can take your soul? You have to be one of the most reckless women I have ever met," he said, keeping his voice level.

She straightened and glared at him, her unique eyes narrowed in anger. Her arms crossed carelessly this time, accentuating her breasts more than she had to realize.

_This woman_... He swore that if he ever noticed a gray hair, it would be entirely her fault. And he would let her know before he fixed it with biokinesis.

"Yet I'm not," she said, trying to keep her voice level as well. The way her nose scrunched up as she glared rather ruined the picture of anger she could have been. "I am not stupid enough as to get killed. I don't see what the problem is!"

He stalked over to her, causing her eyes to widen and her to back up. She needed a good dose of respect in her as he did not tolerate it when Nick talked to him in such ways. "You are the problem," he said, barely managing to not hiss it out.

Her broken bow fell to the ground at her feet as her eyes flashed with old hurt. He was not one for sugar-coating the truth, nor was he known for being comforting. What he had said had been the truth, and she needed to own up to it. _She_ had been the ones pissing off the Daimons enough to send such a fake Spathi after her, which she should take as an insult; _she_ had been the one who had butted into his life, even if it was just as his usual waitress; and _she_ had been the one who could have died had the Apathi been a little less cocky and more cognizant of the threat she posed.

The hurt on her face disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, yet she refused to look at him. "What does it matter to you? I am just someone who will be out of your life in a few days, or even tonight."

He had not had to think about why he cared so much about her well-being before. No one had brought it up and he had carefully avoided the thought. Aside from her soul, he should not care about her. Aside from the fact that she was mortal and a large target, he should not have involved himself beyond that.

Yet he had.

He knew that her eyes had gray in them, and that her hair shown blue under certain lights. He knew that she had a special sashay when she walked away after their bantering. And he knew that even now, after a somewhat bloody battle, she still smelled of his soap. A way she should not smell and still be around him, as they were encouraged to keep their relationships to one-nighters. And he could not do that to her. He wanted her for keeps; after all it was not everyday he found a woman capable of teasing him and walking away on top of being able to protect herself.

He could not exactly classify her under the same category as other mortals either.

She looked so much like she had earlier that night, with her hair falling in soft curls around her shoulders and her eyes larger than normal. And that shirt... He really should not have let her walk out of his door wearing it. It would have looked so much better being removed with his teeth. And even better than that would have been on the floor in front of his bed.

God, he hated how she could do that to him. With one innocent look, she could take away all his ire toward her and replace it with everything indecent enough to remove it from her face.

Only now, he had no reason for why he should not do what he wanted to do.

He bent over enough to find her lips with his own. He could kill two birds with one stone, teaching her exactly why she mattered to him and finally getting to put her lips to a much better use. She did have a habit of talking too much, especially when angry. And her lips turned out to be all that he had imagined: soft, pliable. Just like he knew she could be at times.

Though he was surprised when it was her who leaned forward, her hand coming to rest against his neck. The rest of her body followed, coming to rest snugly against all his hard muscle. All those heated looks and teasing had not been his imagination nor one-sided. It made it so much easier to lose himself in it all, especially the way she fit against him and how good she smelled when she smelled like him. It was not as strong as it had been, and he planned to fix it. The close to rising sun finally worked in his favor, especially since Kagome had no where to go save back to his place.

And he had a much better use for his bed than sleeping in it.

No matter what happened after that night, he was not going to let Kagome go easily. She was worth more than one-night, and he had no doubt she was not looking for a one-nighter either. Otherwise, it would have happened so much sooner.

Talon wasted no time the second they entered his house. Her broken bow fell to the ground, followed soon after by her quiver, the arrows spilling all over the floor, and her clothes made quite the beautiful trail to his bedroom. He was certain she was the loophole in the rules laid out for them as she was not a normal human, nor was she a squire, and it was not as if she could not handle herself in a fight. He wanted to keep her even after this night; he sort of had to anyway-he is half the reason her loft was destroyed. If anyone tried to separate them, he was certain she would have more than a few things to say about it.

Just as he was certain the only reason he was able to kiss her so thoroughly was because she finally could not resist his natural charm. It had only taken him a year to break down her resolve. Most women could not last twenty-four hours.

* * *

**Fin.**


End file.
